SuperJail Warden
Gone Forever
+634|3690

Dilbert_X wrote:

AussieReaper wrote:

Dilbert I think what you wrote is too reasonable to be accepted.

They did nothing after Sandy Hook. Nothing after Vegas.

The only way this could be different is if the NRA stop buying off politicians.
Trump is planning to ban bump stocks and similar devices, that does make sense and is better than nothing.
Trump says a lot of things that never happen. Ignore him until it happens.

Jay is right and wrote the post I was going to before I got lazy. Guns are a special cultural facet in the minds of conservatives and rural people. Owning the biggest and scariest one is a point of pride for these people. They don't care if schools get shot up. They especially don't care if young people and teachers are killed because they perceive them to largely reject their culture anyway. They are the pettiest group of people in the country right next to evangelicals. We have to bend over backwards for them and write news stories about how sad and forgotten they are though or else they will try to destroy the country out of spite.
https://i.imgur.com/xsoGn9X.jpg
Jay
Bork! Bork! Bork!
+2,006|5329|London, England

Dilbert_X wrote:

Jay wrote:

The NRA is a convenient bogeyman. No lobbying group has that much power, let's be real. The reason gun control measures don't get implemented is because even when Democrats have power they care more about not losing their handful of remaining seats in the Senate from flyover country. The Republican base, in turn, would turn against them if they proposed anything that restricted gun ownership, especially if it's anything popular with the left wing media. So yeah, blame the NRA. Lots of gun owners would get behind reasonable measures, but they'd rather, out of spite, that nothing get done than to give liberals any sort of victory. You are the problem Ken, not the NRA. You and people like you are smarmy cunts and no one wants to hear your voice. They'd rather loltrump.
So its not the fault of the Democrats or the Republicans, its the fault of the average dumb voter?
Or the Republicans being petty?

From this perspective it is pathetic that the Republicans devote so much of their time to blocking sensible policies solely so they can later say "look! the democrats are useless! they never get anything done!" when they agreed with the policies and they themselves prevented them happening.
That doesn't necessarily mean that people like Ken are the problem, its that Republicans are so dumb they'd prefer to cut off their own nose to spite someone elses face. Or their own face. I still don't get the people who drive without a seatbelt so they can feel they're sticking it to the gubmint as they're sailing through their windshield.

While we're on the subject its mindbending that the same Republicans who blocked Obama's debt and spending increases, because they believe in small government and fiscal responsibility, are the same people pushing Trump's debt and spending increases - plus tax cuts, and anyone who disagrees hates America, freedom and the military.

Personally I think the NRA has spun itself into its own web, stoking the paranoia of gun-owners to boost their own coffers and influence.

Not sure why the chart is backwards, but boosting revenue from $150m to $350m in ten years is a fair acheivement.
Yes, they would rather cut off their own nose to spite their face. I really can't express the amount of loathing that people who cheer for the two teams seem to have for each other. There are even separate dating sites for Trump voters now.

And while I am happy to have a few extra hundred bucks a month due to the tax cuts, I am really annoyed that they've now increased spending rather than cutting it. They couldn't care less about the deficit because they're all too rich to care and too old to ever see the collapse. Same thing happened under Bush. I hope the Tea Party comes roaring back, but I doubt it will.
"Ah, you miserable creatures! You who think that you are so great! You who judge humanity to be so small! You who wish to reform everything! Why don't you reform yourselves? That task would be sufficient enough."
-Frederick Bastiat
Jay
Bork! Bork! Bork!
+2,006|5329|London, England

SuperJail Warden wrote:

Dilbert_X wrote:

AussieReaper wrote:

Dilbert I think what you wrote is too reasonable to be accepted.

They did nothing after Sandy Hook. Nothing after Vegas.

The only way this could be different is if the NRA stop buying off politicians.
Trump is planning to ban bump stocks and similar devices, that does make sense and is better than nothing.
Trump says a lot of things that never happen. Ignore him until it happens.

Jay is right and wrote the post I was going to before I got lazy. Guns are a special cultural facet in the minds of conservatives and rural people. Owning the biggest and scariest one is a point of pride for these people. They don't care if schools get shot up. They especially don't care if young people and teachers are killed because they perceive them to largely reject their culture anyway. They are the pettiest group of people in the country right next to evangelicals. We have to bend over backwards for them and write news stories about how sad and forgotten they are though or else they will try to destroy the country out of spite.
Well, they are mostly right on this issue. Every time we have a national tragedy like this the same people trot out the same ideas about gun control and inevitably it is pointed out that the fix they are proposing would not have prevented the tragedy. Right now we're talking about bump stocks and background checks and mental health. Bump stocks don't even apply here, but sure, ban them, ten people will cry. The guy passed a background check. He was signed off on for mental health. The cops never committed him. The FBI never followed up on the tips they received. The mechanisms to stop him were already in place, but the FBI failed to act. I'm sure they receive tons of tips though, so it's hard to hold them liable for ignoring what could easily be seen as nothing more than troll comments on a youtube video. Lots of nonsense gets written under those.

Ban semi-automatic weapons, I really don't care, but it's still not addressing the root cause. Why did he want to commit mass murder? I'll bet it has something to do with feeling lost, purposeless, and without hope. Normal teenage stuff, honestly. But all he had to do to gain meaning and immortality was to kill his supposed enemies. Why are people drawn to anti-fa and the right wing groups in the first place? Why are so many people in this country so pissed off and miserable when we have so much compared to others? What's the source of this jealousy and nihilism? Answer those questions and you solve the mystery of what drives mass murderers in our society.

Edit - And I'll be totally honest that espousers of my own personal worldview are at least partly to blame. Hyper-individualism is death to empathy and the trust necessary to form a cohesive society that works together, rather than acting like grasping children when the pinata breaks. Maybe the flag wavers and the Bible thumpers are on to something, because they seem to be better at taking care of each other than we are here on the coasts.

Last edited by Jay (2018-02-21 09:22:50)

"Ah, you miserable creatures! You who think that you are so great! You who judge humanity to be so small! You who wish to reform everything! Why don't you reform yourselves? That task would be sufficient enough."
-Frederick Bastiat
Jay
Bork! Bork! Bork!
+2,006|5329|London, England
"Ah, you miserable creatures! You who think that you are so great! You who judge humanity to be so small! You who wish to reform everything! Why don't you reform yourselves? That task would be sufficient enough."
-Frederick Bastiat
SuperJail Warden
Gone Forever
+634|3690
Again, I agree Jay. Capitalism has failed to provide the western world with the spiritual and cultural needs that societies need to thrive on. This is why we need the Catholic church more than ever.
https://i.imgur.com/xsoGn9X.jpg
Jay
Bork! Bork! Bork!
+2,006|5329|London, England
Let's not get carried away
"Ah, you miserable creatures! You who think that you are so great! You who judge humanity to be so small! You who wish to reform everything! Why don't you reform yourselves? That task would be sufficient enough."
-Frederick Bastiat
Dilbert_X
The X stands for
+1,810|6076|eXtreme to the maX

Jay wrote:

Maybe the flag wavers and the Bible thumpers are on to something, because they seem to be better at taking care of each other than we are here on the coasts.
Yes, nationalism and religion always improve the situation. Good grief, Uzique (PBUH) would had some fun with that statement.

One example of a small-government patriot doing his duty as he saw it.
https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2015/04/17/136396589-66d7f29469d0702b3dcfd7b4eaa15065f7ab07c3-s1600-c85.jpg

As for religion
https://qz.com/1120799/texas-church-sho … shootings/

I said already US society is brutal and nasty and drives these events, from my perspective its this endless urge to exclude people and then ridicule and marginalise them.

Its at so may levels:

Get a low GPA - you're a loser and deserve contempt
Not a high school jock - you're a loser and deserve contempt
Your parents are poor and can't afford the latest gadgets and fashons for you - you must be mocked and excluded
School discipline problems - goes on your permanent record
Get a minor criminal conviction for a moment of youthful stupidity - you'll wash dishes the rest of your life
Ride the bus to work - your peers are required to laugh and point
Have a blue-collar job and finish the day with dirty hands? What kind of woman would marry you?
Don't have the latest model of shiny car - you deserve your neighbours contempt
Don't have a well-paid steady job - no healthcare, its public hospitals for you - the shame!

Once people reach the end of the road, see no decent future for themselves, thats when they flip and take their revenge on the world at large.

This dumb kid in Florida had been excluded from school and most likely believed his life was over, there was no path forward.

That moron in Las Vegas most likely had lost his money and was about to lose the (fake) respect and adulation it had bought him, he was about to become another loser nobody.

Other societies don't do this to the same extent, they're much more egalitarian, understanding, give people more chances and jail people a lot less.
And the result is less violent crime, fewer murders and fewer spree killings.

Obviously easy availability of machine-guns which can be bought in a fit of mental illness and fit in a sports bag is also a factor.

Last edited by Dilbert_X (2018-02-22 01:04:40)

Русский военный корабль, иди на хуй!
SuperJail Warden
Gone Forever
+634|3690
I am not going to feel safe in the classroom unless I have an Armalite AR-15 with an adjustable stock, suppressor, pistol grip, red dot scope, and. hundred round drum magazine. I will also need a spare 3000 rounds of ammunition and a ballistic vest with ceramic plates. Bare minimum to teach.
https://i.imgur.com/xsoGn9X.jpg
Jay
Bork! Bork! Bork!
+2,006|5329|London, England

Dilbert_X wrote:

Jay wrote:

Maybe the flag wavers and the Bible thumpers are on to something, because they seem to be better at taking care of each other than we are here on the coasts.
Yes, nationalism and religion always improve the situation. Good grief, Uzique (PBUH) would had some fun with that statement.

One example of a small-government patriot doing his duty as he saw it.


As for religion
https://qz.com/1120799/texas-church-sho … shootings/

I said already US society is brutal and nasty and drives these events, from my perspective its this endless urge to exclude people and then ridicule and marginalise them.

Its at so may levels:

Get a low GPA - you're a loser and deserve contempt
Not a high school jock - you're a loser and deserve contempt
Your parents are poor and can't afford the latest gadgets and fashons for you - you must be mocked and excluded
School discipline problems - goes on your permanent record
Get a minor criminal conviction for a moment of youthful stupidity - you'll wash dishes the rest of your life
Ride the bus to work - your peers are required to laugh and point
Have a blue-collar job and finish the day with dirty hands? What kind of woman would marry you?
Don't have the latest model of shiny car - you deserve your neighbours contempt
Don't have a well-paid steady job - no healthcare, its public hospitals for you - the shame!

Once people reach the end of the road, see no decent future for themselves, thats when they flip and take their revenge on the world at large.

This dumb kid in Florida had been excluded from school and most likely believed his life was over, there was no path forward.

That moron in Las Vegas most likely had lost his money and was about to lose the (fake) respect and adulation it had bought him, he was about to become another loser nobody.

Other societies don't do this to the same extent, they're much more egalitarian, understanding, give people more chances and jail people a lot less.
And the result is less violent crime, fewer murders and fewer spree killings.

Obviously easy availability of machine-guns which can be bought in a fit of mental illness and fit in a sports bag is also a factor.
No, what I was aiming for was not religion or nationalism, what I was aiming for was the trust levels that those people tend to have amongst each other. There's something to be said for small town cultures where there's reduced anonymity and transience. I've lived in my home for nearly four years, but I hardly know my neighbors. One helped me when my snowblower broke a few years ago, and I helped one when she dropped a pair of pruners over my fence, but we haven't exactly invited each other to tea even though we live only a hundred feet apart from each other. The average American moves 11.4 times during their lifetime. I've moved 12 times myself at the age of 36.

It's hard to build trust in your neighbors when you move around so much and Americans simply don't trust each other (and they definitely don't trust their government). Transient lifestyles mean you are always a stranger, and strangers aren't to be trusted. Some of this aversion to strangers is for good reason, but I think the lion's share of the blame should go to the media who sensationalize everything. The rest should go to the salesman's culture we've developed. Everyone seems to always be trying to sell you something here. Dishonesty is in the very air we breathe.

This opinion piece sums up the ideal I'd rather aim for nicely: https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles … hout-danes

And with increased trust we wouldn't have millions of people thinking they need to build an arsenal to feel safe in their own homes.

Last edited by Jay (2018-02-23 10:18:10)

"Ah, you miserable creatures! You who think that you are so great! You who judge humanity to be so small! You who wish to reform everything! Why don't you reform yourselves? That task would be sufficient enough."
-Frederick Bastiat
Dilbert_X
The X stands for
+1,810|6076|eXtreme to the maX

Jay wrote:

No, what I was aiming for was not religion or nationalism, what I was aiming for was the trust levels that those people tend to have amongst each other. There's something to be said for small town cultures where there's reduced anonymity and transience. I've lived in my home for nearly four years, but I hardly know my neighbors. One helped me when my snowblower broke a few years ago, and I helped one when she dropped a pair of pruners over my fence, but we haven't exactly invited each other to tea even though we live only a hundred feet apart from each other. The average American moves 11.4 times during their lifetime. I've moved 12 times myself at the age of 36.

It's hard to build trust in your neighbors when you move around so much and Americans simply don't trust each other (and they definitely don't trust their government). Transient lifestyles mean you are always a stranger, and strangers aren't to be trusted. Some of this aversion to strangers is for good reason, but I think the lion's share of the blame should go to the media who sensationalize everything. The rest should go to the salesman's culture we've developed. Everyone seems to always be trying to sell you something here. Dishonesty is in the very air we breathe.

This opinion piece sums up the ideal I'd rather aim for nicely: https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles … hout-danes

And with increased trust we wouldn't have millions of people thinking they need to build an arsenal to feel safe in their own homes.
We'll make a socialist of you yet

Last edited by Dilbert_X (2018-02-23 21:33:28)

Русский военный корабль, иди на хуй!
uziq
Member
+492|3423

SuperJail Warden wrote:

Again, I agree Jay. Capitalism has failed to provide the western world with the spiritual and cultural needs that societies need to thrive on. This is why we need the Catholic church more than ever.
or the left. workers of the world, unite!
Jay
Bork! Bork! Bork!
+2,006|5329|London, England

Dilbert_X wrote:

Jay wrote:

No, what I was aiming for was not religion or nationalism, what I was aiming for was the trust levels that those people tend to have amongst each other. There's something to be said for small town cultures where there's reduced anonymity and transience. I've lived in my home for nearly four years, but I hardly know my neighbors. One helped me when my snowblower broke a few years ago, and I helped one when she dropped a pair of pruners over my fence, but we haven't exactly invited each other to tea even though we live only a hundred feet apart from each other. The average American moves 11.4 times during their lifetime. I've moved 12 times myself at the age of 36.

It's hard to build trust in your neighbors when you move around so much and Americans simply don't trust each other (and they definitely don't trust their government). Transient lifestyles mean you are always a stranger, and strangers aren't to be trusted. Some of this aversion to strangers is for good reason, but I think the lion's share of the blame should go to the media who sensationalize everything. The rest should go to the salesman's culture we've developed. Everyone seems to always be trying to sell you something here. Dishonesty is in the very air we breathe.

This opinion piece sums up the ideal I'd rather aim for nicely: https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles … hout-danes

And with increased trust we wouldn't have millions of people thinking they need to build an arsenal to feel safe in their own homes.
We'll make a socialist of you yet
It would never work here. You go to a place like Germany and you get publicly scolded for breaking the rules. Here, they look at you like you have two heads if you aren't trying to cheat in some way. Our culture lends itself to corruption and abuse.

It's kind of funny too, because the people who push for socialism the strongest here are also the ones that are trying to overturn social mores and remove peer pressure and shaming. The end result would be akin to East Germany, with everyone an informer for the state police and the government as enforcer of those same social mores.
"Ah, you miserable creatures! You who think that you are so great! You who judge humanity to be so small! You who wish to reform everything! Why don't you reform yourselves? That task would be sufficient enough."
-Frederick Bastiat
uziq
Member
+492|3423
that's a very strange reading of why east germany had such an informer culture, but ok. there is nothing inherent in socialist thought and various other modes of communalism that lead to 'enforced mores'.
Jay
Bork! Bork! Bork!
+2,006|5329|London, England

uziq wrote:

that's a very strange reading of why east germany had such an informer culture, but ok. there is nothing inherent in socialist thought and various other modes of communalism that lead to 'enforced mores'.
High trust levels are required to make it work. Otherwise everyone will assume they are being cheated by someone else and cheat themselves. Trust is built when everyone expects the other person to naturally do the right thing or be castigated. Normally this is informal - a glare, a cough etc. is usually enough to set the person right. This is undermined by things like moral relativism and multiculturalism which preach tolerance even when such tolerance is sometimes detrimental. Those who dare judge are labeled racist and silenced.

So what's the alternative if judging others and using peer pressure to enforce social norms becomes taboo? Some other power needs to stand in or else the entire system becomes bankrupt from abusers, and that power is government. More and more power is bestowed on the police in order to keep the people in line. You are living through it in your own country. There are cameras everywhere, thought police turn in people for making racist remarks online, and now they're even tracking your porn habits. Undoubtedly, they are collecting all of your email and text messages as well.

Personally, I'll take the peer pressure and judgement from my peers, which is what the Scandinavians get by with (although if the right wing hysteria has any grain of truth, this is being undermined by their immigrants).
"Ah, you miserable creatures! You who think that you are so great! You who judge humanity to be so small! You who wish to reform everything! Why don't you reform yourselves? That task would be sufficient enough."
-Frederick Bastiat
uziq
Member
+492|3423
i don't even know how to engage with this 'i read the new york post on the trains' tabloid thinking. is it getting so bad in our country, jay, is it? could you say it's like ... 1984?!?

and lol you have clearly never been to scandinavia, either. i bet you know a lot about janteloven.

Last edited by uziq (2018-02-24 14:03:26)

Dilbert_X
The X stands for
+1,810|6076|eXtreme to the maX

Jay wrote:

uziq wrote:

that's a very strange reading of why east germany had such an informer culture, but ok. there is nothing inherent in socialist thought and various other modes of communalism that lead to 'enforced mores'.
High trust levels are required to make it work. Otherwise everyone will assume they are being cheated by someone else and cheat themselves. Trust is built when everyone expects the other person to naturally do the right thing or be castigated. Normally this is informal - a glare, a cough etc. is usually enough to set the person right. This is undermined by things like moral relativism and multiculturalism which preach tolerance even when such tolerance is sometimes detrimental. Those who dare judge are labeled racist and silenced.

So what's the alternative if judging others and using peer pressure to enforce social norms becomes taboo? Some other power needs to stand in or else the entire system becomes bankrupt from abusers, and that power is government. More and more power is bestowed on the police in order to keep the people in line. You are living through it in your own country. There are cameras everywhere, thought police turn in people for making racist remarks online, and now they're even tracking your porn habits. Undoubtedly, they are collecting all of your email and text messages as well.

Personally, I'll take the peer pressure and judgement from my peers, which is what the Scandinavians get by with (although if the right wing hysteria has any grain of truth, this is being undermined by their immigrants).
The alternative is people can learn to behave themselves and cooperate with each other, for their own selfish benefit if nothing else.
The Nordic and Germanic countries are amongst the least policed in the world, recent migrants instinctively abuse the high levels of trust and low levels of policing.
I do agree the US is a lost cause, you'll never be like Canada, too many self-segregated ethnic groups and a genetically and societal high level of assholery thanks to the frontier days and their 'every-man-for-himself' mores.
That and the shitty and self-serving system of government you've lumbered yourselves with.

Last edited by Dilbert_X (2018-02-24 17:42:41)

Русский военный корабль, иди на хуй!
Jay
Bork! Bork! Bork!
+2,006|5329|London, England

Dilbert_X wrote:

Jay wrote:

uziq wrote:

that's a very strange reading of why east germany had such an informer culture, but ok. there is nothing inherent in socialist thought and various other modes of communalism that lead to 'enforced mores'.
High trust levels are required to make it work. Otherwise everyone will assume they are being cheated by someone else and cheat themselves. Trust is built when everyone expects the other person to naturally do the right thing or be castigated. Normally this is informal - a glare, a cough etc. is usually enough to set the person right. This is undermined by things like moral relativism and multiculturalism which preach tolerance even when such tolerance is sometimes detrimental. Those who dare judge are labeled racist and silenced.

So what's the alternative if judging others and using peer pressure to enforce social norms becomes taboo? Some other power needs to stand in or else the entire system becomes bankrupt from abusers, and that power is government. More and more power is bestowed on the police in order to keep the people in line. You are living through it in your own country. There are cameras everywhere, thought police turn in people for making racist remarks online, and now they're even tracking your porn habits. Undoubtedly, they are collecting all of your email and text messages as well.

Personally, I'll take the peer pressure and judgement from my peers, which is what the Scandinavians get by with (although if the right wing hysteria has any grain of truth, this is being undermined by their immigrants).
The alternative is people can learn to behave themselves and cooperate with each other, for their own selfish benefit if nothing else.
The Nordic and Germanic countries are amongst the least policed in the world, recent migrants instinctively abuse the high levels of trust and low levels of policing.
I do agree the US is a lost cause, you'll never be like Canada, too many self-segregated ethnic groups and a genetically and societal high level of assholery thanks to the frontier days and their 'every-man-for-himself' mores.
I used to read the discussions among the Aussies here on the board and it was all very polite. You argued various policies but it felt like you were going in the same general direction together. American politics is picking a side and calling the other teams supporters Hitlerites. I generally like Americans but the ideological struggles that color our politics is sad. It doesn't help that we only have two parties to choose from and they take opposite positions on every topic. There's no unity, and certainly no trust.
"Ah, you miserable creatures! You who think that you are so great! You who judge humanity to be so small! You who wish to reform everything! Why don't you reform yourselves? That task would be sufficient enough."
-Frederick Bastiat
Dilbert_X
The X stands for
+1,810|6076|eXtreme to the maX
Come to Australia, its awesome, we even invite the snakes to our barbies.
https://scontent-syd2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/11665501_10153473326949700_7965217170339219902_n.jpg?oh=cfb44631a2bb20746e0dd8f6b3f36edd&oe=5AFFEFF7
Русский военный корабль, иди на хуй!
SuperJail Warden
Gone Forever
+634|3690
A lot of the Parkland survivors are pretty annoying. Hate seeing them on T.V. or hearing their voices. Almost wish some of them didn't make it.
https://i.imgur.com/xsoGn9X.jpg
Dilbert_X
The X stands for
+1,810|6076|eXtreme to the maX
Ooh so edgy.
People react in strange ways to stress and grief, plus they're kids.
Русский военный корабль, иди на хуй!
SuperJail Warden
Gone Forever
+634|3690
So at my school we bought a bunch of metal detectors and wands. We have to check every student (about 500) before they come into the school. So we had ten teachers and staff checking bags and walking kids through metal detector on a conveyor belt type system. I had wand duty. I will always have wand duty. So here I am every morning wanding 5 and 6 year olds. 5 and 6 year olds walk up to me, spread their arms, and I have to wand them with a metal detector. Sometimes the kids are near tears because they think they did something wrong.




This is crazy even to me. But so many parents and teachers repeat "this is just the world we live in nowadays". I don't think this is the world we live in. I think we did this to ourselves. Like we didn't know we did but at some point we made a choice we would rather live in this lock down society than try anything else. This is what we deserve I guess.
https://i.imgur.com/xsoGn9X.jpg
War Man
Australians are hermaphrodites.
+563|6684|Purplicious Wisconsin

Jay wrote:

Dilbert_X wrote:

Jay wrote:


High trust levels are required to make it work. Otherwise everyone will assume they are being cheated by someone else and cheat themselves. Trust is built when everyone expects the other person to naturally do the right thing or be castigated. Normally this is informal - a glare, a cough etc. is usually enough to set the person right. This is undermined by things like moral relativism and multiculturalism which preach tolerance even when such tolerance is sometimes detrimental. Those who dare judge are labeled racist and silenced.

So what's the alternative if judging others and using peer pressure to enforce social norms becomes taboo? Some other power needs to stand in or else the entire system becomes bankrupt from abusers, and that power is government. More and more power is bestowed on the police in order to keep the people in line. You are living through it in your own country. There are cameras everywhere, thought police turn in people for making racist remarks online, and now they're even tracking your porn habits. Undoubtedly, they are collecting all of your email and text messages as well.

Personally, I'll take the peer pressure and judgement from my peers, which is what the Scandinavians get by with (although if the right wing hysteria has any grain of truth, this is being undermined by their immigrants).
The alternative is people can learn to behave themselves and cooperate with each other, for their own selfish benefit if nothing else.
The Nordic and Germanic countries are amongst the least policed in the world, recent migrants instinctively abuse the high levels of trust and low levels of policing.
I do agree the US is a lost cause, you'll never be like Canada, too many self-segregated ethnic groups and a genetically and societal high level of assholery thanks to the frontier days and their 'every-man-for-himself' mores.
I used to read the discussions among the Aussies here on the board and it was all very polite. You argued various policies but it felt like you were going in the same general direction together. American politics is picking a side and calling the other teams supporters Hitlerites. I generally like Americans but the ideological struggles that color our politics is sad. It doesn't help that we only have two parties to choose from and they take opposite positions on every topic. There's no unity, and certainly no trust.
We would need preferential voting to even have a chance to have more than two parties. Bums me too that we only have two parties, but our voting system just encourages having two parties. At least that is how I feel about it.
The irony of guns, is that they can save lives.
Dilbert_X
The X stands for
+1,810|6076|eXtreme to the maX

SuperJail Warden wrote:

This is crazy even to me. But so many parents and teachers repeat "this is just the world we live in nowadays". I don't think this is the world we live in. I think we did this to ourselves. Like we didn't know we did but at some point we made a choice we would rather live in this lock down society than try anything else. This is what we deserve I guess.
Sounds to me like you hate freedom and America.
Русский военный корабль, иди на хуй!
KEN-JENNINGS
I am all that is MOD!
+2,973|6602|949

War Man wrote:

Jay wrote:

Dilbert_X wrote:


The alternative is people can learn to behave themselves and cooperate with each other, for their own selfish benefit if nothing else.
The Nordic and Germanic countries are amongst the least policed in the world, recent migrants instinctively abuse the high levels of trust and low levels of policing.
I do agree the US is a lost cause, you'll never be like Canada, too many self-segregated ethnic groups and a genetically and societal high level of assholery thanks to the frontier days and their 'every-man-for-himself' mores.
I used to read the discussions among the Aussies here on the board and it was all very polite. You argued various policies but it felt like you were going in the same general direction together. American politics is picking a side and calling the other teams supporters Hitlerites. I generally like Americans but the ideological struggles that color our politics is sad. It doesn't help that we only have two parties to choose from and they take opposite positions on every topic. There's no unity, and certainly no trust.
We would need preferential voting to even have a chance to have more than two parties. Bums me too that we only have two parties, but our voting system just encourages having two parties. At least that is how I feel about it.
There are more than two parties.  It takes people like you to stop voting for republicans just because they are running against democrats, and vice versa.
War Man
Australians are hermaphrodites.
+563|6684|Purplicious Wisconsin

KEN-JENNINGS wrote:

War Man wrote:

Jay wrote:

I used to read the discussions among the Aussies here on the board and it was all very polite. You argued various policies but it felt like you were going in the same general direction together. American politics is picking a side and calling the other teams supporters Hitlerites. I generally like Americans but the ideological struggles that color our politics is sad. It doesn't help that we only have two parties to choose from and they take opposite positions on every topic. There's no unity, and certainly no trust.
We would need preferential voting to even have a chance to have more than two parties. Bums me too that we only have two parties, but our voting system just encourages having two parties. At least that is how I feel about it.
There are more than two parties.  It takes people like you to stop voting for republicans just because they are running against democrats, and vice versa.
I tend to vote Republican because they are the closest to my views and because they are more likely to win.

George H.W. Bush lost partly because Ross Perot ran as a third party candidate which split the Republican vote, leading to Bill Clinton to win. Someone whose political views were further away to my views than George H W Bush or Ross Perot. Woodrow Wilson won because the Theodore Roosevelt decided to run as a third party candidate, resulting in Republican split vote while the democrats united. Tommy Thompson won as the U.S. Republican candidate for 2012 U.S. Senate because all the moderates voted for him while the conservative vote was split into 3 candidates, then Thompson lost to Baldwin during the actual senate election.

Our election history has a tendency of Republicans losing to the Democrats due to party split. I'd prefer that not to happen which is why I tend to vote the way I do. With preferential voting, that worry gets at least mostly eliminated. I can simply pick my preferred candidate, and have a backup vote if he isn't doing well rather than having the person who I absolutely don't want to win gain the victory.

Last edited by War Man (2018-04-11 18:28:25)

The irony of guns, is that they can save lives.

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